Formally known as Project Spartan, Microsoft’s Edge (default browser for Windows 10) is currently available in the Windows 10 Technical Preview as part of the Windows Insider Program. According to Microsoft the browser is still a bit rough around the edges (excuse the pun), although its performance has already started people talking about a new heavyweight in browser wars. What we can expect we are told is a much more superior, safer browsing experience to that of the oft-maligned Internet Explorer (IE will remain available as a legacy engine). Here are some things set to impress:

It’s faster

Part of the reason for this is the fact that unlike IE the new browser will not have legacy support, which was one of the reasons IE was so ploddingly slow. ActiveX, Vector Markup Language, as well as Browser Helper Objects and third-party toolbars for dated browsers will not be supported (full list here). This will lead to an all-round better performance. In fact, due to the lost baggage and Microsoft’s fine-tuning of its Chakra JavaScript engine, recent tests not only saw Edge performing miles better that IE, but also out-performing Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, the two big names Microsoft intends to compete with. In a blog post Gaurav Seth, Principal PM Lead, for Chakra, detailed how such improvements were possible, and talked about the “never-ending pursuit” of improving performance, adding, “While winning on a benchmark that is not created by us [benchmark by Apple and Google] does feel nice, the key is that Microsoft Edge has already come a long way from IE11 in terms of improved JavaScript performance on both, benchmarks and real world web as it exists today.”

It comes with an assistant and other useful features

Edge come with Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana, a virtual friend in need that can take you to the pages you most desire by understanding what is it you are looking for. Start browsing for a nightclub for instance and Edge will bring up all the relevant information about that place, not only direct information, but also detail for you how you might get there, what it costs, when it opens and closes. Over time the browser will also start to understand your behavior and on a start page bring up news stories and other media – there’s a Reading List and Reading View feature will allows you to read without seeing any ads – that it thinks you might want to see. Once you’ve found your page, or read your story, you can then use the annotation feature to make notes and share with friends, or save to your computer or in OneDrive. If you’re using a touch screen device you can scribble on the page using a stylus.

It will have extensions

Similar to Chrome and Firefox Edge will have extensions developed with HTML and JavaScript code. Extensions for Reddit and Pinterest were shown at Microsoft’s Build conference last month, while Skype and Bing Translate have also created extensions for Edge. Extensions will not be available at first, but will come at some later time after the release of Windows 10. Extension support for mobile browsers will come at an even later date, according to a Microsoft Edge Developer on Twitter who wrote, “It’s a long term goal but initial release will be PC only.”

Bearing just these three things in mind, and they’re pretty big things, the question is will Edge gradually edge out the competition? It seems like a possibility, but then its competitors, we might remind ourselves, are pretty formidable foes.

Photo credit: Microsoft